Phantom Limb

The best country-soul band in the west
If your perception of the music of Bristol's fair city is still dominated by visions of award-strewn trip-hop and drum & bass artists, allow Phantom Limb to shed some fresh light. For the sound of this six-piece isn't the dislocated soundtrack to a post-industrial landscape. Instead they take a strong swig of inspiration from the music that, three or four decades back, oozed from small recording studios dotted around the American South - places like Muscle Shoals or Fame Studios in Alabama where the divide between country, soul and gospel went joyfully unrecognised. These Bristolians faithfully resurrect that delicious country-soul sound, their chief virtue being the effortless voice of one Yolanda Quartey - sometime Massive Attack collaborator, full-time soul diva of quality and distinction. With a sound that's easy-rolling yet deep and stately, Phantom Limb provide a welcome reminder of where we've come from. Sometimes it's good to go full circle.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2010)

www.phantomlimbmusic.com